Kurdistan’s Weekly Brief Feb 16

Turkey (Bakur or North of Kurdistan)

In Cizre district where a state of siege continues for over two months despite the recent announcement that operations have ended, it has been reported that a woman was executed after being taken into custody 2 days ago. Blood stains and woman trousers have been encountered in the building where the woman is reported to have been killed. According to eyewitnesses, state forces detained a woman who had taken shelter in the basement of a building on Yakışan Street of Şah neighborhood two days ago.

In Amed’s central historic Sur district which remains under a siege by Turkish forces for 82 uninterrupted days, attacks against the neighborhoods protected by locals are getting heavier every day. No news can be received at the moment from some 200 people who still remain trapped in several basements in the neighborhoods under fire.

The 11-person international delegation on a three-day visit to Turkey continues its talks as part of their goal to make efforts for the ending of the isolation on the Kurdish leader and the ongoing war in North Kurdistan. The delegation conveyed to the Ministry of Justice their request for a meeting Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan in İmralı, but hasn’t been answered yet.

Feb 18: Turkish state has closed the Mürşitpınar border crossing between the Suruç district of Urfa and the Kobanê town of Rojava, West Kurdistan. According to information provided by Mürşitpınar Border Gate officer Mihemed Mamed from Kobanê Canton, the gate has been closed to the crossing of people and humanitarian aid.

Syria (Rojava or West of Kurdistan)

Syrian Democratic Council (MSD) Co-President İlham Ehmed said it is now being discussed about a federal system in Syria in which Kurds in Federal Northern Syria will sustain an autonomous organization in the system they have been building. Ehmed spoke to ANF on the latest military developments in Rojava, Turkey’s attacks on Rojava, and the status of the Geneva-3 talks.

On Feb 19 the Turkish state accused YPG for the bomb attack in Ankara which targeted Turkish soldiers and left 28 of them dead days ago. YPG spokesperson Rêdur Xelil spoke to ANF regarding the accusations and said that the Turkish state was aiming to invade Rojava and accomplish what its proxy war has failed to do. Xelil emphasized that they never attacked Turkey but the Turkish state portrayed YPG as an enemy because of its hostility to Kurdish people.

Hawar News Agency (ANHA) has released first images of SDF combatants who entered the town of Shaddadi after advancing from Mount Kizwan area yesterday. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the day before the initiation of Operation Wrath of Khabur on the region of Shaddadi (Şeddadê), one of the strategic military strongholds of ISIS gangs on February 16th. Combatants of SDF have taken control of the entire Shaddadi town Friday evening. We publish the first images from the entrance of the town where there are signs reading “Welcome to Shaddadi, town of abundance” and “Stop. Checkpoint of the Islamic State”.

Al-Nusra and Ahrar Al-Sham terror groups continued their heavy aggression on the mainly Kurdish Sheikh Maqsoud (Şêxmeqsûd) neighborhood of Aleppo city over the past 5 days. As part of the heavy artillery aggression targeting the areas of Cendûl and Kastêlo junction, the neighborhood has been hit by dozens of mortar shells today. The attacks ongoing since 16th of February have claimed the lives of 13 civilians, while 197 others- mainly women and children- suffered injuries.

Iraq (Bashur or South of Kurdistan)

An Islamic State assault attempt was repelled on Wednesday, February 17, morning by coalition jets. A Peshmerga commander in Makhmor said the attempt started at 6 in the morning and the terrorists tried to breach Peshmerga frontlines using 5 vehicles. Coalition jets were able to destroy the five vehicles before they could get to their intended location, killing 15 of the terrorist organization’s militants.

ABCNEWS: Iraqi Kurdish troops have rescued a Swedish teenager from the Islamic State group near the extremist-controlled city of Mosul, the Kurdish government said Tuesday. A statement from the regional government said the rescue operation by the Kurdish anti-terrorist forces took place on Feb. 17 near Mosul. The statement identified the young woman by name, saying she is a 16-year-old from the Swedish town of Boras who “was misled” by an IS member in Sweden to travel to Syria and later to Mosul.

The Kurdistan Parliament Speaker, Yousif Mohammed, was the keynote speaker at the Centre for Kurdish Progress Public Forum hosted in the House of Commons in London. The occasion was an event titled: The Struggle for Democracy and the fight against Daesh (IS) in the Middle East. Mohammed spoke on the economic crisis in the Kurdistan Region and explained how local factors were affecting the region more than external factors, such as the conflict with IS militants.

Iran (Rojhelat or East of Kurdistan)

The Free and Democratic Society of Rojhelat (KODAR) boycotted the 10thparliamentary election in Iran. In a statement issued today, KODAR lashes out at “the Islamic regimes efforts to create a homogenous, ceremonial parliament” and calls it “an insult to people’s political cognition.”

Families of 4 Kurdish citizens, who had been arrested by Iran Intelligence Agency two-and-a-half months ago, are deeply concerned as they still have no idea about their whereabouts. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that four Kurdish residents of Mouchesh village, Kamyaran, named “Farhad Sa’ed Moucheshi, Payam Sa’ed Moucheshi, Sirwan Sa’ed Moucheshi, and Hossein Sa’ed Moucheshi” had been arrested on unclear charges over two-and-a-half months ago. According to the same source, their families have expressed their deep concerns after their frequent visits to Sanandaj and Kamyaran intelligence agency offices have borne no fruit.

A Kurdish civilian named Shirzad Fallahi was reportedly arrested by the Iranian Intelligence Agency (IIA) last week. According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Shirzad Fallahi born in Baneh in 1985, was arrested in a car exhibition store by IIA last week. Mr. Fallahi’s family told HRANA that the unknown agents of IIA, shortly after his arrest, broke into his house and took over all his personal equipment. As of now, this Kurdish civilian is reportedly being held in the IIA Detention Center in Sanandaj. It must be added that the IIA has not mentioned any reasons for Mr. Fallahi’s arrest, yet.

Farhad Pirooti, political prisoner and resident of Sardasht, is serving the 4thmonth of his 5-year-sentence. He has been charged with acts against the national security and cooperation with conflicting parties. The Revolutionary court of Sardasht by judge Norouzi, sentenced him to 8 years and 6 months in prison. This sentence was reduced to 5 years, in branch number 10 of Sardasht appeal court.